389th Bombardment Squadron

389th Bombardment Squadron
Emblem of the 389th Bombardment Squadron
Active	1942–1949
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force

The 389th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 312th Bombardment Group, based at Ellington Field. Texas. It was inactivated on June 27, 1949.

History

Established in early 1942 as a light bomb squadron, equipped with A-24 Banshees, although equipped with export model A-31 Vengeance dive bombers for training. Trained under Third Air Force in the southeast United States, also used for antisubmarine patrols over the Atlantic southeast coast and then Gulf of Mexico.

Deployed to Southern California in early 1943 to the Desert Warfare Center, trained in light bombing while supporting Army maneuvers in the Mojave Desert until October.

Re-equipped with North American A-36 Apache dive bombers and deployed to New Guinea as part of Fifth Air Force. In the Southwest Pacific the squadron attacked Japanese strong points and tactical positions and targets of opportunity in support of MacArthur's campaign along the north coast of New Guinea; then advancing into the Netherlands East Indies and Philippines as part of the Island Hopping campaign. Re-equipped with P-40s; then later A-20 Havocs. Engaged in heavy fighting on Lete; Mindoro and Luzon in the Philippines during 1944-1945.

The squadron moved to Okinawa in mid August and after the Atomic Bomb missions had been flown; remained on Okinawa until December until returning to the United States with most personnel demobilizing. It was inactivated as a paper unit on January 6, 1946.

The squadron was reactivated as a B-29 Superfortress unit in the reserves in 1947, but lack of funding and personnel led to rapid inactivation.

Lineage

Constituted 389th Bombardment Squadron (Light) on January 28, 1942

Activated on March 15, 1942

Redesignated: 389th Bombardment Squadron (Dive) on July 27, 1942

Redesignated: 388th Bombardment Squadron (Light) on December 6, 1943

Redesignated: 388th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on July 19, 1945

Inactivated on December 18, 1945

Redesignated: 388th Bombardment Squadron (Very Heavy) on July 14, 1947

Activated in the reserve on July 30, 1947

Inactivated on June 27, 1949

Assignments

312th Bombardment Group, March 15, 1942 – December 18, 1945
Tenth Air Force, July 30, 1947
312th Bombardment Group, August 13, 1947 – June 27, 1949

Stations

Bowman Field, Kentucky, March 15, 1942
Will Rogers Airport, Oklahoma, June 12, 1942
Hunter Field, Georgia, August 18, 1942
DeRidder Army Airbase, Louisiana, February 18, 1943
Rice Army Airfield, California, April 13, 1943
Salinas Army Air Base, California, August 13 – October 24, 1943
Jackson Airfield (7 Mile Drome), Port Moresby, New Guinea, November 30, 1943
Gusap Airfield, New Guinea,January 3, 1944
Nadzab Airfield Complex, New Guinea, June 11, 1944

Hollandia Airfield Complex, Netherlands East Indies, July 4, 1944
Tanauan Airfield, Leyte, Philippines Commonwealth, November 19, 1944
McGuire Field, San Jose, Mindoro, Philippines Commonwealth, January 27, 1945
Mangaldan Airfield, Luzon, Philippines Commonwealth, c. February 11, 1945
Floridablanca Airfield (Basa Air Base), Luzon, Philippines Commonwealth, April 20, 1945
Yontan Airfield, Okinawa, C. August 12 – December 13, 1945
Fort Lawton, Washington, January 1–4, 1946
Ellington Field, Texas, July 30, 1947 – June 27, 1949.

Aircraft

A-31 Vengeance, 1942–1943
A-24 Banshee, 1942–1943
North American A-36, 1943
P-40 Warhawk, 1943–1944
A-20 Havoc, 1944–1945

References

This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.

Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.

External links

USAAF Fifth Air Force in World War II

Previously: Philippine Department Air Force (1941); Far East Air Force (1941-1942)

Airfields

Pacific	USAAF in Australia USAAF in the Southwest Pacific USAAF in Okinawa

Units

Commands

Wings

Groups

Air Commando	3d Air Commando
Bombardment	3d Bombardment 7th Bombardment 19th Bombardment 22d Bombardment 27th Bombardment 38th Bombardment 43d Bombardment 90th Bombardment 312th Bombardment 345th Bombardment 380th Bombardment 417th Bombardment
Combat Cargo	2d Combat Cargo
Fighter	8th Fighter 24th Pursuit 35th Fighter 49th Fighter 58th Fighter 348th Fighter 475th Fighter
Reconnaissance	6th Reconnaissance 71st Reconnaissance
Troop Carrier	317th Troop Carrier 374th Troop Carrier 375th Troop Carrier 433d Troop Carrier

Squadrons

Bombardment	31st Bombardment
Night Fighter	418th Night Fighter 421st Night Fighter 547th Intelligence
Reconnaissance	2d Observation 8th Photographic Reconnaissance 36th Photographic Reconnaissance
Troop Carrier	21st Troop Carrier 22d Troop Carrier 65th Troop Carrier 66th Troop Carrier

United States Army Air Forces

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